What is the most 'useless' piece ration/MRE/camping equipment you own?

[Yowie]

Hi all,
Just a bit of a light hearted topic, I have been thinking about.
It has been raining a lot here for the last month so I haven't been able to get out and about to review some rations . And when the sun has been rarely out work has been manic.

So back a couple of years ago, I was on holiday and realized I may be trapped in a small town by a flood. The town had a few facilities, but like any modern town after a week with no new supplies the supermarket begins to look bare. I had a couple of CR1M's in my car and my little gas stove, so I bought some non perishable food and water, but realized I had nothing to cook them in or too boil water.
In panic, I mean preparation, I bought this little beauty......

It is incredibly well made (stainless steel) and came with two nesting cup (one pictured beside).
I will admit it is not completely useless, the cups are great for camping and hiking, but the pot is really only useful for boiling water. There is no way you can fit an MRE or CR1M type entree in it too heat or pretty much anything else.

Comparison picture too my new French canteen cup

For hiking the canteen cup is so much more practical (it will fit any ration entree and boil water). The cup doesn't have a lid but you can improvise one to speed up boiling if needed.
My little pot now lives in my cars bug out kit, which after that flood incident is a lot better thought out. I bring it out for morning coffee when I am car camping, and use one of the cups for an unbreakable wine glass in my little camper trailer.
But it was a bit of a purchase fail
Incidentally, I managed to skip out just before the town was cut off by the waters. They were cut off for eight days, when a boat full of supplies was able to be delivered.

Does anybody else have similar equipment they bought because it was shiny or looked more useful than it turned out to be?

Yowie

[Norton]

Yowie

Good subject

I have a good example and will post photos tomorrow.

For now I want to comment on your Stanley camping set. My friend bought that set to use on a Three day hike in mountains of West Virginia. I looked at it and thought man this is well made.
I warned him it would be best to use the set for boiling water , instant coffee or MT house FD meals.
We could fit MRE meals for boil in the bag but it was a chore. He tried to cook pork and beans and I told him cook them in the can. But he poured them in flask, they burnt on the bottom and were cold on top. In the field It was nearly impossible to clean the flask correctly.

[gundog4314]

I bought a cheap sierra cup for 5 bucks. The metal so thin and conducted heat so well you couldn't drink out of it without scorching your lips.....freakin thing went right in the trash.

[Yowie]

@Norton
I totally agree with you, beautifully made, but practically useless for anything but boiling water.
I thought the same as you about canned stuff. So much easier to heat in the can and not worry about trying to clean it l. Virtually impossible in the field.
Yowie

[housil]

A case of:

UL.jpg (87.37 KiB) Viewed 8666 times

out of US supplies.

[elandil]

The aluminum canteen cups. PITA to keep clean, tarnishes quickly, bad conductivity. Ill be staying steel in the future.

[Norton]

My wife bought me this set because she and my son thought it looked like a solid well made set. (Bless their hearts ) It is a well made set that nests very tight. But it is far to big for foot hikes or canoe trips as packing it in a ruck or W/P bag is a problem. I like using the Swedish Army classic set for camping from canoe. Foot hikes I like the Russian Airborne set or Old East German Kettle
This would be good for the family camping trip in the old Station wagon.

[steve1989]

Anything Ozark Trail - Ruleryak likes to call it something more appropriate: Ozark Fail!

I had an Ozark Trail multi-tool eating utensil - it also has a knife added - I was sharpening a bamboo spear to snag a sting ray and the knife was a little dull - I might have been a tad careless to give a little credit.. but I still managed to cut part of my thumb off. It was great - I got to use my suture kit and I was shaking a little - thumb was so swelled - still managed to get the huge down to the bone flap re-attached.

I still went out in the water after wrapping it with Quik-Clot gauze and duct tape. It was the same trip where I brought along some HDR's Ruleryak sent me and I had pan-fried fish over HDR Lentil Stew & the last day out I enjoyed a Supper Unit K-Ration Repro from Gundog in this empty building that had a fireplace. It had rained pretty badly the last night and I was getting sick - had the strong lemon powder drink from the Ration and am convinced it countered the on-setting cold.


Whoah another long ramble-fest story.. whoops.

In short - stay away from Ozark Trail for most camping items!

[parafireboy]

I think I got rid of most of that stuff years ago, but I can certainly second Steve1989 and Ruleryak on the Ozark Trail quality (or lack thereof). I've had several of their items in my earlier years, but it either all got pitched in the trash or donated once I experienced what quality gear was like.